I tried not to laugh, but Twobble had a point. I focused on the words, committing the spell to memory, and took the glimmering silver tag, holding it tight.
A wave of nostalgia crashed over me, and I remembered petting the wrinkly bulldog who had always been by my side, not realizing that inside that mild exterior was the father I’d thought I’d lost long ago. Setting the tag in the circle's center, I straightened my resolve and stood in the middle with it.
Nova gave me the chalk next, gesturing for me to close off the circle behind me.
“You’re the one with the request. You must close the circle. We’ll be here,” she said, touching my shoulder. “Guiding you.”
I looked at Keegan, who walked into the circle before I closed it with the chalk. The tenderness in his gaze made my chest tighten. It was hard to believe he’d always been watching from afar all my life.
My legs felt like jelly as I carefully drew the final line of the circle, sealing myself inside with the tag and Keegan.
Keegan’s gaze never left me.
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll stop it,” Keegan murmured. “You’re the most important thing we have, Maeve.”
My heart pounded.
What if something does go wrong?
“Thank you,” I whispered, nodding.
The knowledge that Gideon had grown more powerful and cunning than we’d imagined weighed on me. And yet, I knew we had no other choice. We had to find my father before more time slipped away.
“This spell might lead you to more than your father,” Nova said, her eyes fastening on mine. “Be aware that whoever is in his presence can see you.”
“So, Gideon?”
“Anyone.” She nodded. “And Gideon might use this to gain access to much more than we could imagine.”
“But he might be the key to telling me where my dad is,” I stated flatly, and Keegan nodded.
Nova smoothed her cloak and glanced at Keegan before returning her gaze to mine. “I hope we can bypass all that and somehow latch onto Frank’s location without interference, but that’s never been Gideon’s style.”
“But you’ve got this, Maeve,” Stella added.
I nodded. “Okay. I’m ready.”
Stella, Nova, Miora, and Twobble stood on the circle's edge.
Each of them began murmuring a chant to reinforce the protection that Miora had woven around the cottage.
A faint shimmering rose around us as the air charged with potential.
“You’ve got this,” Keegan murmured again.
His gaze stayed on mine before I shut my eyes, focusing on the tag in the center of the circle, anchoring my father’s essence.
My dad’s friendly winks, kind eyes, and loyalty swept through me as I drew in a breath and recited the incantation from memory.
The words sank into my bones immediately, and the magic came alive, circling first around my feet and rising slowly in a spiral.
It felt like cool tendrils of some sentient breeze, each twist beckoning me to push deeper.
I uttered the final lines of the incantation,
“By the wind that weeps in his absence,
And the essence that calls him home,
